I'm provoked to post this after the thread about whether people DIY or not anymore.I've been wondering for some time, in particular WRT my own kids (both men now in their 20s) if their lives have been so much easier that necessity has *not* bred any variant of invention.They are so needy and incapable that I had occasionally wondered if they were on some spectrum or other but I speak to other people my age and it sounds par.I've a tome of anecdotes but i'll stick to a couple.We had* 2 bagless vacuum cleaners at work (me, son, apprentice), one upstairs, one down. I noted one day that both were downstairs, so I asked why. The response was that one of them wasn't sucking.Later I noted that neither had been used in a while, the place was untidy, apparently now neither were sucking.So I went off one one about how i'm not the ####ing caretaker, vacuum cleaners aren't ####ing rocket science and demanded they check for blockages and if necessary clean the filters.Neither knew that vacuum cleaners had filters (why would they) so on my instruction the apprentice washed the filters and put them back in.He put them in WET and proceeded to use it.*One has since died, hardly surprising.Recently, a machine at work is leaking polish on the floor.I'm ignoring the problem to see what the son will do about it.Then I prompt.. "why is it leaking", "where is it leaking from" etc. and finally have to intervene when the best he can come up is to mop up the leakage from the floor with a face like an injured puppy.(It's about 30 quid per gallon)This isn't merely a rant, i'm genuinely fearful for the future.

Mine are all cyclists (even the girl) and that keeps them practical.

Did we somehow ruin the next generation?

Mar 02, 2020 Last reply: 6 years ago 62 Replies

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R D S 6 years ago

As in his mother (who i've long been split from)? She is a complete flake.

You've met his stepmother, she's known him since he was a wee un, She's the same mindset as me and we've always been involved and proactive, in fact she gave him a Saturday job when he was in his early teens so he had some responsibility and his own money.

"She won't take any s*it", I said, "make sure you get there on time, stay at ours the night before if it helps, do NOT get a lift from your mum, she's unreliable".

5 weeks it lasted, late every time. So I guess her genes won out on that score.

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R D S 6 years ago

This bugs me in particular Brian, the answers are so easy to come by these days.

They've a smartphone in their pocket, on social media all day, god forbid they should use it to look up something practical.

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R D S 6 years ago

I know i'm oversharing and you shouldn't slate your kids on the net, but Jesus Christ.

Same machine......

I go home a couple of hours early the other week, go back in the morning, the machine hasn't been used since I left. "We are going to have to phone Jim (from whom we got it), it isn't running". Now i've fallen out with Jim, that's too long a story, nutshell, Jim is NOT coming. Ever. So I investigate and ultimately turn the machine over manually by it's belt after which it was fine.

Today.... Machine isn't running again. We tried the same but it didn't wash. I haven't the time, He's fruitlessly faffed with it all morning, It's approaching 2 o'clock which is when *we* finish so "bye dad, have a good weekend". Err yeah, see ya.....

Lid up, press start, test screwdriver in hand at the origin of the motor cable, no power, trace wiring back through hardware I have no idea what is, find a switch (trip/overcurrent? I dunno), anyway I effectively turned the machine back on and it's fine.

It's rarely rocket science is it? But I think i'm flogging a dead un here. I admit some fault obviously, cos when alls said and done he's ####ed off and when he gets back it's been sorted.

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